A mixed bag of weather today which included lightning, rain (which prompted the rapid closing of nets), bright sunshine, (which prompted the rapid opening of nets), and high winds with both bright sunshine and the odd raindrop (at which point I gave up).

A good mixture of migrants early in the morning prior to the rain followed by a smattering of diurnal migrants afterwards. Flocks of American Robins and Blue Jay meandered overhead before the wind picked up.

A Merlin buzzed the feeder nets and the first Brown Creeper of the season was banded.

Banded: 51
Tennessee Warbler 1
Magnolia Warbler 1
American Goldfinch 6
Brown Creeper 1
Ruby-Crowned Kinglet 1
Nashville Warbler 1
Yellow-Rumped Warbler 4
House Wren 1
Common Yellowthroat 1
Lincoln’s Sparrow 1
Red-Eyed Vireo 1
Swainson’s Thrush 7
Song Sparrow 3
White-Throated Sparrow 5
Grey-Cheeked Thrush 3
Hermit Thrush 2
Northern Cardinal 1
American Robin 8 (they lived up to their latin binomial “Migrating Turd”)
Blue Jay 1
Common Grackle 2

Retrapped: 9
American Goldfinch 1
Black-Capped Chickadee 1 (which has been handled by 7 Ruthven banders since hatching in 2006)
Slate-Coloured Junco 1
Common Yellowthroat 1
Song Sparrow 2
White-Throated Sparrow 2
Downy Woodpecker 1

B